ANN ARBOR, MI— The Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, housed in the International Institute at the University of Michigan, presents a lecture by Dr. Juan Cole, titled, “International Library and Nonviolent Noncooperation: Martin Luther King and Afro-Asia” on Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 4:00 pm in Weiser Hall, Room 1010 (Tenth Floor), 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor. This event is free and open to the public.

Professor Cole will address the nonviolent activism of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., who is associated in the minds of many primarily with the Civil Rights Movement against institutionalized racism in Jim Crow America. King was, however, a keen observer of decolonization and the awakening of colonized peoples in Afro-Asia to aspirations for self-determination. This anti-colonial perspective led to his opposition to the Vietnam War. Although King was little involved in the Middle East per se, having been more focused on African countries such as Ghana, his vision and his methods have gone on to inspire many civil rights activists in Egypt, Palestine, and elsewhere in the region.

Dr. Juan Cole is the Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan and author of Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires (Bold Type, 2018), The New Arabs: How the Millennial Generation is Changing the Middle East (Simon & Schuster, 2014), and Engaging the Muslim World (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009), among many other works. He also writes on current affairs for The Nation and Truthdig, and maintains the Informed Comment news and analysis site. He has appeared widely on radio and television as a commentator on the Middle East, including on Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes' All In, CNN, ABC's Nightline, NBC's Today Show, Democracy Now! and many others.

The Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies is pleased to present this lecture in conjunction with the following co-sponsor: U-M African Studies Center

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The Center for Middle Eastern & North African Studies (CMENAS) at the University of Michigan provides a venue for faculty, students, and the community to learn and share knowledge through an active lecture series and various educational and research programs, and by partnering with a host of units across campus on projects of mutual interest. https://ii.umich.edu/cmenas

Watch Professor's Cole lecture here »